CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Eight runs in an extra eighth inning gave BYU softball an 8-0 victory over CSUN after falling to No. 4 Oklahoma 10-0 on the second day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Friday.
“Tonight, the eighth inning rally was a great ending to a very long day,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “They never quit fighting.”
Oklahoma (8-1) scored 10 runs on 12 hits against BYU (5-9) and the game ended after six innings, due to the NCAA eight-run rule.
BYU shut CSUN (4-9) out 8-0 in a game that was a pitching duel through seven innings before the Cougar bats came alive in the eighth.
Game one
Oklahoma got on the board in the bottom of the first on a three-run homer to left center for a 3-0 lead.
The Sooners added three more runs in the second inning to make it 6-0. They hit a dinger to left center and two RBI singles to left center and centerfield, respectively.
In the third frame, Oklahoma scored on a fielder’s choice at second base for a 7-0 advantage.
A Sooner batter sent a three-run homer over the centerfield wall in the sixth for the win.
BYU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma Box Score
Game two
Arissa Paulson had eight strikeouts while shutting out CSUN.
"Arissa pitched a very strong game tonight and refused to let us lose," Eakin said.
Seven different Cougars scored, led by Alexa Strid’s two runs. Rylee Jensen, Briielle Breland, Libby Sugg, Erin Miklus, Ashley Godfrey and Brooke Vander Heide also crossed the plate. Strid and Jensen had two RBI each while Breland, Sugg and Allie Hancock had one apiece as well.
In the top of the eighth inning, Strid was placed on second base, due to the NCAA extra inning rule. Hancock doubled to right field as Strid crossed home for a 1-0 lead. Miklus, a pinch runner, came in for Hancock just before Godfrey walked and Vander Heide reached on an error. Jensen then singled up the middle, allowing Godfrey and Miklus to make it 3-0.
Breland singled to left field as Vander Heide came home for a 4-0 advantage. Jensen then advanced home from third on a wild pitch to make the score 5-0. Sugg singled through the left side to bring Breland home for a 6-0 advantage. Strid homered to left field as she and Sugg came across for an 8-0 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Cougars caught a fly ball in right field as well as a line drive to third before a Matador batter struck out swinging to close the game.
The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic concludes for BYU on Saturday against Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. PT. Links to the FloSoftball stream and live stats will be available on the softball schedule page while the full tournament schedule can be found on the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic website.